Page 72 - Mexico Diving From the Caribbean to Pacific Isles

ome cenotes like the Sacred Cenote in ince ancient times, the caves and Their formation can take thousands of years
and there are an infinite number of styles
S Chichén Itzá played an important role S Cenotes of the Yucatan served as refuge
in Maya rites. For the Maya, the cenotes and for the Mayas from natural disasters and and shapes. Stalactites can only form in a

caves were gateways to the world of the armed fighting. During the Mayan social dry cave.

dead while at the same time being associ- struggle of the 19th Century in the Yucatan D uring the last Ice Age water levels were
ated with fertility. Mythology surrounding Peninsula, known as the Caste War, cenotes lower and many of the current Cenotes
the underworld, with cenotes and caves and caves were used as shelters by Mayan

believed to be access to the kingdom of rebels for the storage of their weapons and and caves were dry and that is when the

darkness inhabited by the Gods who gave protection. While the best-known cenotes Stalactites formed. When it rains the water

life and also took it away. are large open water pools measuring peculated through the limestone and dur-

B elieving that these pools were gateways tens of meters in diameter, such as those ing the process dissolved some of the lime-
to the afterlife, the Maya sometimes at Chechen Itzá, the greatest number of stone and carried it away. The water then
cenotes are smaller sheltered sites and do dripped from the roof of the cave and over

threw valuable items into them. The discov- not necessarily have any surface exposed thousands of years limestone was slowly

ery of golden sacrificial artifacts in some water. deposited and formed the icicle shaped

cenotes led to the archaeological explora- N ot all Cenotes look like a hole in the Stalactite. The same water drops that fall
tion of most cenotes in the first part of the ground with many looking like a pond. from the tip of the Stalactite deposits lime
20th century. Edward Herbert Thompson, on the ground creating a Stalagmite over

an American diplomat who had bought The tunnels are formed by water rushing time. A variety of shapes result from factors

the Chichén Itzá site, began dredging the through and dissolving the soft limestone. such as rhythm of the drop and the height

Sacred Cenote there in 1904. He discovered Many of these caves have Stalactites hang- of the fall. When both Stalactite and Stalag-

human skeletons and sacrificial objects ing from the ceiling resulting from mineral mite are provided enough time to grow and

confirming a local legend, the Cult of the deposits transported by the water that under the right conditions they can join to-

Cenote, involving human sacrifice to the filters through the rocks. Stalactites begin gether and form a column that can measure

rain god Chaac by ritual casting of victims to form with a single drop of water creat- up to several meters tall.

and objects into the Cenotes. ing a narrow and fragile tube on the inside.